Jan. 9—Employees and executives with Anderson Regional Health System and Baptist Memorial Health Care gathered at Anderson Regional Medical Center on Tuesday to announce the merger of the two healthcare companies is complete.
First announced in October 2022, the merger brings the resources of Baptist, the largest health system in the state, to Anderson and expands Baptists' footprint to cover more than half the state's population.
"The thing that it does for this heath system, for Anderson, is it emboldens us to continue to focus on our commitment to community health care," Anderson Regional Health System President and CEO John Anderson said. "We are very, very excited about that."
Both health systems are driven by faith-based missions and a commitment to providing quality care at the local level, Anderson said. Together, the two systems have more than 150 years of providing evidence-based medicine to Mississippians.
Anderson Regional Health System was founded by Dr. William Jefferson Anderson in 1928, Anderson said. Since then, he said, it has grown from three doctors and six nurses to include two hospitals, a cancer center and numerous clinics employing hundreds in east Mississippi and west Alabama.
"I'm proud of Anderson's history, and I'm excited for the future and continuing my grandfather's legacy with Baptist Memorial Healthcare," he said.
Jason Little, president and CEO of Baptist Memorial Health Care, said Anderson is more than just a hospital; it's a family, a legacy and a pillar of the community. That importance, he said, is not lost on Baptist.
"There's a lot of pressure on Baptist at this point to not mess this up, because you all have done a wonderful job caring for the Meridian community for so long," he said.
In fact, Little said, many of the things that Anderson prides itself on, such as its commitment to the community and drive to provide high quality healthcare, are what made the merger possible. The two companies, he said, are very much alike.
Like Anderson, Little said, Baptist was formed in the early 20th century, 1912, by a small group of people dedicated to their community. Since then, Baptist Memorial Health Care has expanded to include more than 22 hospitals across Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, he said, but that commitment to others and faith-based mission of service is still alive and well.
"This was an opportunity for one plus one to make hopefully three or four or five for this community, to really be able to expand our mission and to do something special together," he said.